Sabbath: Creation and Fall
Image © Pacific Press from GoodSalt.com
Read for This Week’s Study: Gen. 1:26-27, 1 John 4:7-8, 1 John 4:16, Gen. 3:16-19, Gen. 11:1-9; Gal. 3:29; Deut. 7:6-11.
Memory Text: “Then [God] brought [Abraham] outside and said, ‘Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:5-6, NKJV).
The story of God’s people starts with the creation of humans and their tragic fall into sin. Any attempt at understanding the nature of unity in the church must begin with God’s original plan at the Creation and then the need for restoration after the Fall.
The first chapters of the Bible reveal that God intended for humanity to remain one family. Unfortunately, this unity was severed after the tragedy of sin. In sin alone the roots of disunity and division arose, more of disobedience’s foul consequences. We get a hint of this division in the immediate interaction between Adam and Eve when God first approached them after they ate of the forbidden tree (see Gen. 3:11). Hence, among all else that the plan of salvation will accomplish, the restoration of this original unity is one crucial goal, as well.
Abraham, the father of God’s people, became a key player in God’s plan of salvation. Abraham is depicted in Scripture as the great example of “righteousness by faith” (see Rom. 4:1-5), the kind of faith that unites God’s people with each other and with the Lord Himself. God works through people to restore unity and to make His will known to lost humankind.
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, October 6.
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Creation and Fall
The title of the lesson depicts our human condition.
God's intention of creating humanity is to live in eternity with him.
When we deliberately choose to disobey God, He came chasing after us.
There was nothing good left in us that would seek after him.
If he did not call after us, restore us into the oneness of relationship with him, we would have been lost.
How do you respond to the call?
Thanks for the word of God. An I pray that many souls are touched by this quota's study. Amen
Our response to God's call needs to be a response of FAITH and not a response of WORKS-----A faith that trusts fully in HIS POWER (The Father's, The Son's "Jesus," and The Holy Spirit's) and not OUR POWER to walk with HIM and live for HIM etc.
I would assert that there are some things in life/reality that cannot be achieved by going directly after them - that is, making their achievement the goal. In fact, trying to directly achieve such things actually makes them impossible to achieve.
I would propose that the kind of unity that was at Creation is one such thing. Rather, that kind of unity is an inherent outcome or by-product of something else. Pursuing the something else that results in unity therefore needs to be the 'goal' - or rather the 'pursuit'.
If we want to understand true unity, we need to consider questions such as:
1) What was the source/basis of unity prior to the fall? What was it that naturally resulted in unity being experienced as an outcome?
2) What changed at the fall that then resulted in disunity being the natural outcome?
If we can answer these two questions, then it will inform us as to what needs to be restored again in order to once again experience the kind of unity that humanity experienced at Creation.
The stars in heaven show how vast the number of Abram's descendants would be, and one of those descendants would be the bright morning star.
The first reference to the morning star as an individual is in Isaiah 14:12" how you have fallen from heaven, o morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to earth, you who once laid low the nations. The KJV translate "morning star as Lucifer son of the morning. It is clear from the rest of the passage that Isaiah is referring to Satan's fall from heaven Luke 10:18. So in this case the morning star refers to Satan.
In revelation 22:16, Jesus unmistakably identifies Himself as the morning star.
Why are both Jesus and Satan described as morning star?
Good question Cyrus. I think it is important to note that Jesus is called the Lion of Judah, while Satan is called a lion seeking whom he may devour. So morning star is not the only same adjective Jesus and Satan have shared from time to time. Of course the reasons they are both called a lion are different. In one way or another or at different times they both are represented as being a lion. Jesus is king which likens Him to a Lion, while Satan is seeding someone to devour likens him to a lion. It is also important to note that Lucifer was called the morning star and not Satan. The morning star is a bright star and Lucifer was a bright star before he fell and became Satan. Jesus of course is an even brighter star but in neither passage are they compared to each other, so each one in their own right was a bright star before the fall.
Satan 'was a morning star' but now he is no longer a morning star
Can there be true unity where truth is not understood and held as the means of unity? This requires each of us to know God's word and all that it teaches. In creation, we have God's intentions for this world and it's people. The entrance of sin has brought truth into question by many. For unity, we must become acquainted with and subject to Truth, studying all the ways God has revealed it(Nature, Bible, life of Jesus), and receive the Holy Spirit.
A couple of points I wonder about.
Why does Paul point out the necessity of speaking the truth in love (Eph 4:14) if truth is the bottom line for unity?
Which truths do I need to know before I can experience unity with fellow believers? For example, can I experience unity with fellow believers who are not yet convinced of the truth of Saturday Sabbath?
Phil, look at 1 Cor 1:10. What unity is there in speaking differently?
Also, does the Truth highlight love or not? "Love" as the world understands it will not work without Truth.
Truth is not individual beliefs, but a system of thought that leads to actions which are in harmony with the Divine nature, and truth will restore this nature in the repentant sinner. Isn't this the oneness that Jesus prayed for?
Good questions Robert.
How about Acts 15:36-41? There was disagreement between Paul and Barnabas that was strong enough to lead them to each go their separate ways. At a surface level we would say there was a lack of unification. However, there is no indication that was a break in their brotherly Christian love for each other at a deeper level - such that either willed or acted to harm the other. Thus, they agreed to disagree and to go their separate ways in this instance as the pragmatic differences were irreconcilable at this point.
True unity exists at a much, much deeper level. Hence, why it is based on what is termed self-renouncing/beneficent/Agape love. This kind of 'love' is a core orientation of one being towards another at the absolute deepest of levels. Such love operates at the level of the thoughts and intents of my heart towards 'you' - is my highest desire to only do that which will genuinely benefit you, or is my highest desire to advance my own best interests even if it means doing so at your expense and/or my desire that you experience harm?
You are correct when you note that Truth distinguishes between which kind of love alone enables the abundant eternal life that constitutes God's Kingdom and other alleged forms - which, as you correctly point out, are in actuality distorted misrepresentations masquerading under the 4 letters 'l-o-v-e'.
Truth is even more than a system of thought - it is the description of what constitutes reality, how that reality functions, and what that reality will produce, and so on. Thus, it is the reality that truth describes that gives rise to actions, etc.
Following on from the above, I believe that the Oneness that Jesus prayed for constituted (a) believing to the point of submitting and committing to being anchored in revealed reality of what God's Kingdom is, what it is about and how it operates that (b) also manifests in being anchored in and being motivated by the principles and practices of that Kingdom to the redevelopment of our nature and character to Christlikeness.
Phil, the disagreement between Paul and Barnabas was personal and not doctrinal, and I'm sure they were united on the gospel message, it's importance and need to be given to the world. They were united in doctrine and practice, but not about the usefulness of Mark at this particular point in time, though that changed eventually. This will exist among a diverse group of people, but they can remain in unity while having such personal differences. They didn't go out and start a new church, and the two teams went out with the same purpose, teaching and speaking "the same things".
I believe Paul learned from this experience which led to his wise counsel to the Ephesians in 4:2,3. What do these verses tell us about the "need" that will exist to exercise "all lowliness, meekness....etc? This is why I believe that taking Jesus' yoke, who is "meek and lowly of heart" will be the cause of true unity among a diverse group.
I am in agreement on your further comments, and the "system of thought" as I meant it includes what you added as well. It is the knowledge of God that transforms us into the likeness of God in character, government, and purpose. Even the Godhead had it's "discussions" didn't they? Jesus(we are told) went 3 times before the Father to take man's place in propitiating the demands of a just, but violated Law. They too are in unity while "diverse", or, individual. They are "one"(echad), while remaining unique.
We must remind ourselves of what Jesus taught the woman at the well, and realize that God isn't looking for those who merely have the right knowledge, but who bring it into their very being, worshiping God "in spirit and truth". (Defining "worship" from scripture is a most enlightening and revealing study, which transforms the 1st angel's message into a life-changing experience, which includes every thought, word and action. This is true worship.)
Thanks Robert for some good further thoughts...
Knowing God and having a deep relationship with Him is the first step to unity both with Him and our fellowmen.
Unity begin with having a knowledge of God and His saving grace and having a deep relationship with Him.
When we come closer to christ we come close to one another. Christ is the centre of unity .when we move towards him we also move towards one another. Without christ there is no unity because christ only can broke the walls which is maintained against others and unity takes place through his spirit.
God’s love is intimate, strong and healing. That love is the power that draws all who seek him—it is this love that is the cause of true unity. Even though human kind broke the intimacy of that relationship at the fall, our God did not break faith with us. His love seeks us at every turn and twist in our lives.
Moses said it well:
“For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it. Deuteronomy 30:11-14.
It is just like Jesus promised. He has sent his Spirit to be alongside and in us, so that we can be remade in the image of his love and lift him up so that he will draw all, each one of us to himself. Jesus lover of my soul, let me to thy bosom fly.
Unity I do believe begains with realizing Christ is the vine and we are the branches, unless the branches bring forth fruit they die. How do the branches bring forth fruit? "The sap of the vine, ascending from the root, is diffused to the branches, sustaining growth and producing blossoms and fruit. So the life - giving power of the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Saviour, pervades the soul, renews the motives and affections, and brings even the thoughts into obedience to the will of God, enabling the receiver to bear the precious fruit of holy deeds." AA 284.1 What is the precious fruit of holy deeds? "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another."
Galatians 5:22-26 KJV. If we live in the Spirit and walk in the Spirit, unity follows.
It is interesting to me that Adam and Eve ran and hid themselves togther even though fundamentaly the unity that existed between them was severed.
People can associate together not because they are united but becasue they have the same enemy or wants.
Husband and wife can stay together not because they are united but because they have the same fears, needs, etc.
One thing that can unite them is repentance, for it is sin that brings about disunity. The same applies for church members.